Stunning tries, a drop-goal exhibition, red card controversy and last-minute fumbles – the opening weekend of the 2023 Rugby World Cup was not short of storylines.
But what were the main talking points as the tournament got under way in France? Here are our seven key moments.
Beauden Barrett v Antoine Dupont
An edge-of-the-seat foot race followed by some quick thinking lit up the opening night in Paris between France and New Zealand.
As the host country kicked behind the All Black heavies, it was a straight one-on-one dash to gather the loose ball between two of rugby’s biggest stars.
The vociferous Parisian support cheered their captain Antoine Dupont’s every step and both men appeared to have hands on the ball at the same time.
Cleverly, Dupont then released it with Beauden Barrett still hanging on and the All Black had no option but to carry it in touch. The sound was deafening inside Stade de France and the hosts went on to record a 27-13 win.
Record-breaker Sexton returns
Ireland talisman Johnny Sexton may not have kicked a ball competitively in six months, but he slotted back in with ease during the 82-8 win over Romania.
Two tries and seven conversions gave the fly-half a points tally of 24, surpassing Ronan O’Gara as his country’s highest scorer at the World Cup.
His presence also meant he became the oldest player to represent Ireland at the age of 38 years and 58 days.
However, arguably the key moment was when the elder statesmen was replaced in the second half fully intact. Ireland and their fans will want Sexton to be wrapped in cotton wool between matches as they pursue a first world title.
English ill-discipline & red card inconsistency
Tom Curry became the fourth England player to be sent off this year within three minutes of his return to the side after an ankle injury.
Curry was sent to the sin-bin for a head-on-head contact with Argentina’s Juan Cruz Mallia and was never to return, as he became the first man to be shown an upgraded red card by the ‘bunker’ at the World Cup.
England have fallen foul of the new system in recent weeks, with Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola both serving bans during the opening-weekend win.
But Steve Borthwick’s men may feel slightly hard done by possible inconsistency that saw Chile captain Martin Sigren receive yellow against Japan and South Africa centre Jesse Kriel stay on the field without even a review against Scotland for similar-looking offences.
Ford’s kicking manifesto
With Curry off the field and the conditions humid, England needed an alternative plan.
Cue George Ford’s trusty right boot, as the fly-half stepped up to clip over the first of three drop-goals and hand the 14 men of England the lead.
The moment surprised the majority of those inside Marseille’s Stade Velodrome, but as Freddie Steward ran over to congratulate his team-mate, Ford simply turned his back and got back into position to receive the Argentina kick-off.
Two more drop goals followed in the first-half, including one from the halfway line, and six additional penalties took Ford and England’s points tally to 27 – his highest return in a single Test.
No-look Libbok
South Africa fly-half Mannie Libbok has stepped up to Test level with ease as he fills in for 2019 World Cup winner Handre Pollard.
The 26-year-old is a classy distributor with ball in hand, but his boot is an equally devastating weapon for the defending champions.
Fed the ball in midfield, without so much as a glance upwards Libbok instinctively nudged a no-look crossfield kick-pass to Kurt-Lee Arendse for the winger to catch and score.
Arendse did not have to break stride as he scored one of the tries of the opening weekend to send the Springboks on the way to a 18-3 victory in Marseille.
Fernandez opens Chile’s account
Debutants Chile had to overcome the odds to become the 26th country to qualify for the World Cup but they made a dream start in their opener with Japan.
Fly-half Rodrigo Fernandez dived over after six minutes to score their first try on the biggest stage.
A break down the right appeared to have petered out but the loose ball landed at the feet of Fernandez, who kicked through to score.
That brief moment of jubilation for Chile and their travelling fans was short-lived however, as Japan then seized control and ran out 42-12 winners.
Wales let off by Radradra fumble
Wales and Fiji have serious World Cup history, with the Pacific Islanders springing a surprise in 2007 before triple success for Warren Gatland’s men in 2011, 2015 and 2019 – and the latest instalment was a thriller in Bordeaux.
The northern hemisphere side looked poised for a comfortable win before Fiji hit back with late tries from Josua Tuisova and Mesake Doge.
With the clock in the red and tired Wales defenders struggling to cover, the ball was thrown wide to an unmarked Semi Radradra.
A clean take would have surely led to a simple run-in to move Fiji to within a point, and a conversion to follow for the win, but the centre fumbled the ball forward and Wales held on for a 32-26 victory.
It was a thrilling end to a thrilling match and a brilliant start to France 2023.
